Clothespin assembling machine



Nov. 3, 1931. c; FORNEY 1,830,021

QLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING'MACHINE F le Ma 51, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR Charles Ibrn ey B Y m givwwmzfi Mmm Q A TTORNEYS' C. FORNEY CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING MACHINE Nov. 3, 1931.

Filed March 51, 1928 5 Sheets-Shee 2 IN VEN TOR CharlesEr/Zey A TTORNEYJ.

Nov. 3, 1931. c. FORNEY CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING MACHINE 5 Rm t m m a Mo 0 h T w x H mm .W hm m w r 5 0 Filed March 51, 1928 NOV. 3, 1931. FQRNEY CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING MACHINE Fild March 3l,-l928 5-Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR harles Forlzey A TTORNEKS. I

Nov. 3, 1931. c. FORNEY CLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March '51, 1928 IN VENT OR C6 arias I or/2 ey.

- ATTORNEYS:

Patented Nov. 3, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENTi OFFICE CHARLES FORNEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WILLIAM R. CHAPMAN, JR, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA GLOTHESPIN ASSEMBLING MACHINE Application filed March 31, 1928. Serial No. 266,289.

The present invention relates to an improved clothes pin making machine, particularly adapted for assembling clothes pins of the type comprising two clamping members, generally of wood, and a spring having a fulcrum and tension portion lying transversely between the clamping members and bridle or grip portions extending at each side and transversely across the clamping members. An object of the invention is to provide a machine by means of which the spring member is adapted to be spread by means of its transverse bridle portion, and fed into relation with the clamping members which are fed into relation to means adapted to retain them during feeding thereon of the spring member. Other objects consist in improved means whereby these operations are coordinated and adapted to be carried on in a rapid,

positive and eflicient manner.

With the above and other objects in view, an embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, and this embodiment will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto, and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine, ac-

cording to the present embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of the assembling portion of the machine, certain parts being removed.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a detail View showing the spring member in relation to be spaced by the spreader means;

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the spring member in its relation to the clamping members, as itis fed into relation therewith;

Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the completed clothes pin;

Fig. 9 detail view showing the mechanism for feeding and positioning the clamping members transversely;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the spring member feeding means;

Fig. 11 is a perspective view of the spring member.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, the machine, according to the present embodiment of the invention, comprises a bed 20 having an out- Wardly extending bracket support 21 mounted at one side thereof, upon which there is supported a sprocket gear 22 about which a sprocket feed chain 23 extends, this chain also extending about a sprocket gear 24, disposed in an opening 25 of the bed and mounted upon a shaft 26, iournaled in a bearing 27 beneath the bed. The chain 23 is adapted to intermittently feed the clothes pin clamping members, as will hereinafter more fully appear, and for this purpose the sprocket gear 24 has a pinion gear 28 secured upon its shaft, which meshes with a pinion gear 29 secured upon the end of a transverse shaft 30, journaled beneath the bed in hanger bearing brackets 31 and 32.

A ratchet disc 33 is secured upon the shaft 30 and is engaged by a pawl 34 pivotally mounted upon a lever arm 35 rotatably mounted on the shaft, this arm being connected by a link-rod 36 to a lever 37, pivotally mounted at its upper end in a bracket 38 secured upon the bed, and provided, intermediate its ends, with a roller 39 engaging the cam groove of a cam 40 secured upon a shaft 41 journaled in bearing brackets 42 and 43 mounted upon one end of the bed.

The shaft 41 is provided at its end with a bevel gear 44 which meshes with a bevel gear 45 provided upon the end of a shaft 46 journald in bearing brackets 47, 48 and 49, mounted at the rearward side of the bed. Upon the other end of this shaft there are provided pulley wheels 50 and 51, by means of which the machine is adapted to be driven through a belt drive (not shown).

The upper traverse of the sprocket chain moves over a channel shaped supporting guide 52, supported upon the bracket support 21, and provided in its forward wall with an opening 53 through which the pairs of clothes-pin clamping members are successively fed upon the chain from a horizontally disposed stack feed ide 54. A follower block 55 is provided in t is guide behind the clamping members and is adapted to press them forwardly by the pressure of a weight 56, suported on the end of a cable 57 connected to the block 55 and extending over a guide roller 58. Spaced lugs 59 are provided on the cham which feed the clothes-pin clamping members inwardly, as they are successively fed onto the chain.

At one edge of the opening 25, and at one side of the chain 23, there is secured a block 60 upon which a pair of spring holding arms 61 and 62 are mounted, these arms being spaced by means of a spacer block 63 and extending partially across the opening in spaced and parallel relation to the chain. The upper surface of the lower spring arm is flush with the upper edge of the forward flanges of the channel guide, which at this point is flush with the upper surface of the chain, and the upper spring arm is provided with a pair of spaced guide projections 64 and 65 projecting above the chain, and beneath which the clothes-pin clamping members move, these members being adapted, as will presently more fully ap ear, to be moved transversely from the chain and between the spring arms, where they are adapted to have the spring member fed thereon.

As shown in Fig. 7 the upper spring arm is spaced above the clamping members therebetween, and is bent downwardly at its forward end into yielding engagement with the upper member, as at 66, and is flared outwardly, as at 67. The lower arm is recessed, intermediate its ends, as at 68, and is flared outwardly at its outer end, as at 69.

Rearwardly of the opening 25 there is mounted a slideway in which there is engaged a slide 71, having a pusher plate 72 secured upon its forward end, and provided at its rearward end with a roller 73 engaged in the cam groove 74 of a cam 75 mounted on the shaft 46. Reciprocation of the slide 71 is adapted to move the clothes-pin clamping members transversely from the chain and between the spring arms 61 and 62.

In order to limit the movement of the clamping members, and position and align them between the spring arms a lever arm 76, pivotally mounted at 77 upon a bracket 78, is provided at its forward end with an angular plate 79, and at its rearward end with a roller 80 engaged in the cam groove 81 of the cam 75. During feeding of the clamping members the angular plate 79 is vertically disposed transversely across the forward sides of the spring arms, as shown in Fig. 9, being thereupon raised out of relation, as

shown in Fig. 3, to permit feeding of the spring member upon the clamping members.

A reciprocating slide 82 is mounted in the slideway 70, and is provided at its forward end with a pin 83 adapted to be successively engaged in apertures 84 provided in the sprocket gear 24, to position it between its intermittent feeding periods, the slide being provided at its rearward end with a roller 85 engaged in the cam groove 86 of a cam 87 mounted upon the shaft 46.

The clothes-pin spring members are stacked upon a vertical guide 88, the lower end of which is spaced from a horizontal guide support 89 for a distance corresponding to the thickness of one spring member,

so that as one spring member is fed from beneath the stack the next member drops into place by gravity.

A reciprocating slide block 90 is mounted 1n a slideway 91 secured upon the bed at one side of the spring member guide 88, and is connected to one end of a rod 92, the other end of which is eccentrically connected to a disc 93 secured upon the end of the shaft 41. A pusher bar 94 is secured upon the slide block 90, its forward end being forked, as at 95, to embrace one of the spring members, and beng pointed as at 96, for the purpose of enterng and separating the s ring member spreading means, presently to e described.

The spring member spreading means comprises a pair of arms 97 and 98 pivotally mounted at 99 and 100 in supporting blocks 101 and 102 secured upon the bed plate. these arms being provided at their inner ends with overlapped contacting anvil portions 103 and 104, respectively having inclined upper and lower surfaces, the two portions constituting a wedge. The portions 103 and 104 are joined to the arms by reduced neck portions 105 and 106 providing a groove 107 at the upper side of the neck portion 105 and a groove 108 at the lower side of the neck portion 106. Flanges 109 and 110 are provided at the respective rearward upper and lower edges of the portion 103 and 104 which project above and below the ends of the clothes-pin clampinc ing members in position between the spring arms 61 and 62 to receive the spring member.

The anvil portions 103 and 104 are yieldably held in contact with each other, and for thls purpose posts 111 and 112 are secured in the supporting blocks 101 and 102, and extend through openings 113 and 114 in the arms 97 and 98, the post 111 having a nut 115 at its upper end, between which and the upper surface of the arm 97 there is engaged a coil spring 116, while the post 112 has a nut 117 thereon engaging the u per surface of the arm 98, a coil spring 118 being engaged between the under surface of said arm and the block 102. A post 119, secured in the block 103, is engaged through an opening 120 in the arm 97,'and has an adjustable nut 121 sethe guide support 98, so that during feeding.

of the spring member it is retained against vertical displacement by the guide support 98 and the shield 122, and is retained against horizontal displacement by the fork portion 95 of the pusher bar 94.

As shown in Fig. 8 the clothes pin clamping members comprise a pair of similar sec- .tions 123 and 124, transversely recessed at their outer horizontal sides, as at 125 and 126, and having their inner surfaces inclined, as at 12.7 and 128 from the rearward extremities to transversely extending recesses 129 and 130, adapted to receive the fulcrum portion of the spring member. The spring member consists of a transverse fulcrum and tension portion 131, side engaging portions 132 and 133, transversely extending bridle or grip portions 134 and 135, and rearwardly extending relatively short side engaging portions 136 and 137.

The operation of the spring member feeding and spreading means is as follows, the clothes pin clamping members having been fed transversely from the feed chain to a position between the holding arms 61 and 62. The pusher bar 94 moves inwardly, feeding one of the spring members from the stack, the bridle portions 134 and 135 engaging at each side of the wedge shaped anvil portions 103 and 104, so that the spring member is spread through outward pressure on said bridle portions, as clearly indicated in Fig. 6. As the pusher rod continues its inward movement the pointed ends 96 engage between the anvil members, spreading them so that the pusher rod passes between them, the spring member being spread to a. point where the bridle portions are above and below the clothes in clamping members, the fulcrum portion being between the anvil portions. As the bridle portions move over the end flanges 109 and 110 of the anvil portions they contract upon the clothes-pin clamping members, the pusher bar continuing its inward feeding movement to a point where the bridle portions drop into the transverse recesses 125 and 126 and the fulcrum and tension portion 131 is seated in the transverse recesses 129 and 130. The pusher bar is thereupon retracted to a position to feed the next spring member, the assembled clothes pin be ejected by an ejecting movement 0 the pus er plate 2, the cam groove 81 being designed for this purpose. Upon retraction of the pusher plate 72 the feed chain moves another pair of clamping members into place, said plate 72 moving forwardly and feeding them transversely between I have illustrated and described a preferred and satisfactory embodiment of the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended in claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a machine of the character described% 173 means for holding two clamping members 0 a clothes-pin, means for feeding said members into spaced and parallel relation with said holding means, means for feeding said clamping members transversely from sald last mentioned feeding means into relation with said holding means, means movable into and out of relation with said holding means adapted when in relation therewith to engage and limit the transverse movement of said clamping members, and when out of relation to expose the sides of said clamping members for engagement thereon of the spring member of the clothes-pin, means for spreading the spring member to space the bridle portions, and means whereby said spread spring member is engaged about the two clamping members.

2. In a machine of the character described, means for holding two clamping members of a clothes-pin, means'for feeding said members into spaced and parallel relation with said holding means, means for feeding said clamping members transversely from said last mentioned feeding means 1nto relation with said holding means, means movable into and out of relation with said holding means adapted when in relation therewith to engage and limit the transverse movement of said clamping members, and when out of relation to expose the sides of said clamping members for engagement thereon of the spring mem bers o the clothes-pin, means for spreading the spring member to space the bridle portions, and means whereby said spread spring member is engaged about the two clamping members, said means for transversely feeding the clamping members adapted to have movement to eject the assembled clothes-pin from said holding means Si ed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fair eld and State of Connecticut this 23rd day of March, A. D. 1928. 1

CHARLES FORNEY.

sembling thereon of the spring member. 

